Employers
Employers value practical and expert assistance.
Our Good Practice Guide provides up to date and relevant information to enable an employer to make informed decisions based on the information they have been given.
Our 5 part guide includes:-
Part 1 – What is open recruitment?
Part 2 – What barriers do ex-offenders face?
Part 3 – When to apply for a DBS check
Part 4 – Legislation and recommendations
Part 5 – When is a conviction spent?
For more details on our Good Practice Guide, please get in touch through our CONTACT page
Employment is a key factor in reducing re-offending. The prospect of employment provides benefits for both the business and the offender, by providing a high level of performance and retention for the business and income and stability for the individual. Not all ex-offenders pose a risk. If each individual is assessed on a case-by-case basis then it is more likely that the most suitable, skilled and talented applicants will be successful at interview.
MYTH: It is illegal to hire someone with a criminal record
FACT: The Ministry of Justice say that even where employers are entitled to ask for criminal record checks, spent or unspent, it should not act as an automatic barrier to employment (Workingchance.org, 2017).
FACT: Fines are the most common sentence given by courts and 76% of all convictions are for ‘summary offences’ meaning they are considered less serious
MYTH: All ex-offenders have been to prison
FACT: Only 27% of convictions are for violent crimes and these can range from a fine to a prison sentence. 47% of victims of violent crimes believe the offender was under the influence of alcohol
MYTH: Ex-offenders are violent
MYTH: Ex-offenders are dishonest
FACT: 6% of convictions are for fraud or forgery offences and these people often have no previous convictions
MYTH: Ex-offenders chose their fate
FACT: Many ex-offenders have previous experiences that may have played a part in the outcome. These include being in care as a child, homelessness, anxiety and depression and witnessing or being subjected to domestic violence as a child
